Ludhiana: Bizman gets ₹1-crore extortion threat, 2 Rajasthan men among three booked

The complainant further alleged that the caller warned him to forget about recovering any money from the Rajasthan-based accused

A senior citizen and edible oil businessman from Ludhiana has alleged that he received death threats and an extortion demand of ₹1 crore from a Rajasthan-based man and his son, along with their unidentified aide, over a pending police complaint. The Division number 3 police have initiated a probe.

Police officials said the matter was being investigated and efforts were on to identify the foreign caller and verify the allegations mentioned in the FIR. (HT File)

The accused have been identified as Mahavir Prashad Skeechi and his son Sanjay Skeechi, residents of Hanumangarh Town in Rajasthan. Complainant Vinay Maheshwari, a resident of Iqbal Ganj Chowk, stated that he runs an edible oil business in Ludhiana and supplies products across Punjab. He alleged that he had earlier filed a complaint against Mahavir Prashad Skeechi and Sanjay Skeechi over a monetary dispute which is already under investigation by the additional deputy commissioner of police (operations), Ludhiana.

According to the FIR, Maheshwari alleged that since April this year, he had been receiving repeated WhatsApp calls from Mahavir Prashad Skeechi. Initially, he ignored the calls, but answered one of them on April 13. The complainant alleged that during a nearly 13-minute conversation, the accused threatened him with dire consequences for filing the complaint and allegedly warned him to withdraw it. Maheshwari claimed the caller also boasted about having links with gangsters in Rajasthan and threatened that he and his family could be harmed.

According to the complainant, he received a WhatsApp call from a foreign number on April 17. The unidentified caller allegedly threatened him and his family and demanded ₹1 crore in extortion money.

The complainant further alleged that the caller warned him to forget about recovering any money from the Rajasthan-based accused. Police officials said the matter was being investigated and efforts were on to identify the foreign caller and verify the allegations mentioned in the FIR.

Sections 308 (2) (extortion), 351(3) (criminal intimidation) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.